Come Home Safely
by LinkSage
Summary: In his quest to restore peace to Hyrule, and help those he loves, Link pushes himself too hard and pays the consequence. A sweet Link and Ilia oneshot. Contains potential Twilight Princess spoilers.


**Description**: In his quest to restore peace to Hyrule, and help those he loves, Link pushes himself too hard and pays the consequence. A sweet, Link/Ilia oneshot. Contains Twilight Princess Spoilers.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own nintendo or any of its characters. I am not making any kind of profit from this story and have written it purely for entertainment purposes.

**Warning**: This does contain potential Twilight Princess spoilers. You have been warned.

* * *

Link watched in silence as Yeto cared for Yeta. The large white snow beasts seemed completely oblivious to the weary hero's presence, lost in each other's love. It was difficult to believe that the frail (though still quite large) Yeta had attempted to kill him just a few moments ago. 

'_It wasn't her fault though…she was possessed by the power of the mirror_,' he reminded himself.

The Hylian's shadow shifted, rising before him and taking the shape of his eccentric companion. "What's the hold up? C'mon, let's go," Midna pressed, her arms crossed impatiently over her chest. "It's cold here, and we've still got two mirror fragments to track down."

Link nodded in resignation. He wasn't feeling well, and had hoped to ask the Yeto if he could stay and rest awhile. Midna was right, though. They had a lot to do, and he was anxious to return to Kakariko and check on Ilia. Maybe her memory had returned while he was gone. Hope of her recovery was just about the only thing fueling his progress.

Seeming happy with his obedience, Midna grinned impishly and warped him outside the old mansion. Link shivered and wrapped his arms around himself. It was even colder out here. A thick blanket of snow covered the rocky mountain, and though the mansion was full of holes and barely heated, he was at the mercy of the frigid wind outside.

"Midna, can you take me to the field?" he asked softly. His shadow morphed and took the form of the Twili again. She smirked at him. It wasn't often that he asked her to warp him places. He had to turn into a wolf for the magic to work, and the pain of transforming was usually not worth the time saved in doing so.

Crimson eyes regarded him with a kind of smugness. "What's wrong? The cold too much for you?" she asked playfully, her fang showing as she grinned. "Well, alright. I suppose if you want. Here we go!"

Link braced himself, crying out in pain as he morphed. His entire body seemed to turn black as his shape changed. In only a few moments, a grey and black wolf with piercing blue eyes and an earring in each ear stood where the Hylian had. He staggered a little, trying to keep his feet despite nearly blacking out from the pain.

Midna waved her hands a bit. Everything turned black around him, and for a few moments, he felt as though he were floating. A moment later, he was standing in grass so tall it brushed his stomach. The vast field was bathed in the dim, calm glow of natural twilight.

"I'm assuming you want to turn back?" Midna asked from somewhere above him. Tensing just a bit, the wolf closed his eyes and nodded. A few whimpers of pain later, a very human Link was standing in the wolf's place, his companion disappearing within his shadow.

It was still cold. He'd forgotten to tell Midna that he was heading for Kakariko.

'_Oh well, it isn't far,' _he told himself. _'Maybe the fresh air will wake me up a bit.'_

A small bush was growing a few feet to his left. The unique flowers budding on it were in the shape of a horseshoe. Link slowly walked over to the bush, trying not to feel alarmed at the way the ground seemed to tip under his feet. He picked one of the orange flowers, gingerly put an end to his lips, and blew. The melody that poured out was pure, and the echo seemed to carry through out the entire field.

Only a few moments after he played, the sound of hoof beats came to him on the evening breeze. A large, chestnut mare was approaching him swiftly from the horizon. She whinnied happily upon seeing him, skidding to a halt once she reached him.

"Hey, girl," Link greeted, giving her neck a friendly pat. She smelled of him deeply, her ears drooping in a relaxed manner. "Up for a evening ride?" An enthusiastic snort was his reply.

The saddle creaked noisily as he mounted the huge mare. He tugged on the reins, turning her towards Kakariko, and sent her along with a tap of his boots. She needed no other encouragement.

As the scenery passed by in a blur, Link shivered, bending over a little more than normal in an attempt to keep warm against the wind. Something wasn't right. A thin layer of sweat had gathered on his skin, only making the chill worse. Dizziness was falling over him in waves; a number of times he had to clutch at Epona's mane for fear of falling off.

His loyal mare slowed down to walk on her own once they reached the village. She seemed to sense that her master wasn't feeling well. Link lifted his head wearily, trying desperately to make out the different buildings. He wanted to check on Ilia, and then he had to keep moving.

The last thing he remembered was seeing a large form, maybe a goron, wandering down the street, before the sensation of falling came over him. Then his world was shrouded in black.

"As---sleeps, he'll recover."

"---pushing himself too hard."

"---be okay?"

"Link--- didn't tell me--- dummy."

"--- be fine. Let-rest."

"We'll ---good care---promise!"

…

"Link, I remember. Please, open your eyes. You promised me you'd come home safely, remember?"

…

He didn't know how much time had passed, or really where he was. The voices came and went, sounding distant in the darkness he found himself lost within. Sometimes they sounded familiar, but it was too difficult for him to think about them for long.

It felt like ages had passed before the darkness finally gave way. His eyes opened a sliver, absorbing bright torchlight and lightly painted walls. There was a movement somewhere to his left, and he flinched, startled as something cool and damp touched his forehead.

"Ah, he awakens," a familiar voice announced softly.

"Link?!" A face moved into his field of vision. Blonde hair, soft, worried jade eyes, pale complexion, white clothes…

"Ilia?" he heard himself croak. His throat felt like sandpaper.

A relieved smile eased its way onto the girl's face. "You're awake; thank the goddesses, you're awake!"

"How are you feeling, Mr. Link?" asked the other voice. Link moved his eyes a little so he could see who had spoken, only to find that even such a simple movement sent pain through his head. The old Shaman, Renado stood at his other side, his kind tanned face smiling down at him.

"I've been better," he whispered hoarsely. "What happened?"

"One of the gorons saw you fall off Epona outside and brought you in," the black haired healer explained calmly. "You were running a terrible fever. I suspect you've been pushing yourself too hard."

"Is he awake? Link?!" A small blond haired boy ran up to stand beside Renado. It wasn't long before he was joined by three other children, two boys and a girl.

"See, I _told _you he'd be okay," remarked the oldest, a brunette boy by the name of Talo.

"You're the one who was whimpering that he was going to die," stated the youngest boy, Malo, dryly.

"Be still," Renado told the children, meanwhile he rested his palm on Link's forehead, checking his temperature. "Hm. It's gone down, but it has yet to break. I suggest we all leave and let Link get some rest," he announced to the room in general.

"Okay; Don't you worry, Link! No one will get in here while I'm on watch!" Talo reassured enthusiastically, saluting the ill Hylian. Link managed a grateful smile for the boy, to which Talo cheered and dashed out. Malo muttered something about going back to his store before he walked out as well.

"Colin?" Ilia asked softly. The blond boy seemed hesitant to leave.

Link smiled at the younger boy. "I promise, I'll be okay," he croaked in reassurance.

Colin watched him a moment, before finally smiling. "Okay; Don't worry about us. Just get better soon."

With that, he left with the other girl who'd come in with them.

Renado smiled a little. "They've been worried about you, Mr. Link. We all have been."

Link nodded a little. "I'm sorry," he apologized, his voice still husky. Hardly daring to hope, his blue eyes focused on Ilia.

She smiled gently, seeming to read his mind. "I remember, Link. I remember you."

Link felt relief and joy surge through him at those words. "You do?" She nodded, still smiling.

His hand somehow found hers. All the anxiety and worry he'd felt for her since he'd started this quest...it all seemed to melt away, and a true smile eased onto his face for the first time in what seemed like ages.

She smiled back at him, a hint of a tear in her eye. Tenderly she rested her palm against Link's warm cheek. "Get some rest," she told him softly.

Link nodded a little, his eyes already seeming to drift closed of their own accord. It seemed everything was going to be fine, after all…

End

---

**AN:** I know that's not how it really happened, but hell. Why not?

I loved Twilight Princess in that it made Link seem more human, somehow. His expressions, the situations he fell into…even his interactions with the other characters. It's truly an amazing game, and easily one of the best Zelda games of all time.

Again, I'm well aware of how Ilia actually regains her memory. I felt the need to write something though, and this was a scene that came to mind.

Hope you enjoyed.

12/20: changed/fixed a couple of minor details… ie: realized today that Ilia's eyes are green and not blue. That sort of thing.


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